Quote Originally Posted by 92Esquire
Quote Originally Posted by Fly Goddess
No offense, but I can now understand why some of you switch back and forth with spinning outfits and bait.
That stuff is terrible!
I wouldn't give that to a beginner, let alone someone who has been fly fishing for a long time.
You do get what you pay for.
Actually, I don't switch. That line may be terrible, but for someone who doesn't know if they want to stick with it, or is supporting a wife and 2 kids on a single income, the difference between a $4 Orvis line and a $60 SA line can be the difference between trying fly fishing and sticking with corn and a Zebco 33.

I put some of the Orvis stuff on a WalMart special SA rod my brother bought, and it actually cast very, very well. Was it a Sage XP with a GPX line? No, but it's a rod that my brother can use to see if he really wants to get too deep into it.

Every hobby has different levels of gear - from "absolute crap" through "useable but not great" up to "you're paying for a name and that's about it". It's that way with guitars, woodworking, motorcycles, and everything else I've ever been involved with. I personally see some of this closeout material as filling a niche that I really haven't seen much in fly fishing - an affordable way for folks to get into it without having to become eBay experts.
Geez. You people sure like to argue. Come Saturday I am going to be fishing my $29 clearance SA combo with $6 SA clearance line, $0.75 clearance tippet, home made furled leaders, and flies tied by 92Esquire. I will be shivering in my new Simms waders with a smile on my face. Practicing in the standing water in my yard has reassured me that I can make any cast that I need to make on the Days River. BTW, the Taylor still plays nice. Thanks again Bro.

I respect good equipment. I would love a Sage. However, I don't mind buying cheap equipment to get started when I can always pass it down to the kids when they get started, too. But heck, more expensive isn't always better. Each of my 8 $20 Diawa Heartland salmon rods has caught more pounds of fish than any fly rod I will ever own. Higher class rods wouldn't have made a difference.